Digestive System of the Lined Seahorse
How Lined Seahorse Digests Food
The Lined Seahorse has a very basic digestive system.
1. They have no teeth. They eat by sucking prey through their snout into their mouth and swallowing it whole. Lined seahorse eat live food including plankton, fish larvae, briny shrimp and small crustaceans such as copepods.
2. The lined seahorse has little to no stomach and relies on its intestines to absorb nutrients from digested food.
3. Their liver which includes pancreatic tissue produces bile to aid in digestion.
4. Its kidney filters waste.[1]
Because digestion is so fast, they have little time to absorb nutrients before the food is eliminated, therefore lined seahorse have to eat constantly to survive. A lined seahorse can eat up to 3000 brine shrimp a day.[2]
[1] http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/Education/Learning_Resources/Secrets_of_the_Seahorse/swf/body.swf
[2] http://www.torontozoo.com/exploretheZoo/AnimalDetails.asp?pg=515
1. They have no teeth. They eat by sucking prey through their snout into their mouth and swallowing it whole. Lined seahorse eat live food including plankton, fish larvae, briny shrimp and small crustaceans such as copepods.
2. The lined seahorse has little to no stomach and relies on its intestines to absorb nutrients from digested food.
3. Their liver which includes pancreatic tissue produces bile to aid in digestion.
4. Its kidney filters waste.[1]
Because digestion is so fast, they have little time to absorb nutrients before the food is eliminated, therefore lined seahorse have to eat constantly to survive. A lined seahorse can eat up to 3000 brine shrimp a day.[2]
[1] http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/Education/Learning_Resources/Secrets_of_the_Seahorse/swf/body.swf
[2] http://www.torontozoo.com/exploretheZoo/AnimalDetails.asp?pg=515
Lined Seahorse's menu
Respiratory System of the Lined Seahorse
Like all living organisms, Lined Seahorses get the energy they need through cellular respiration. In cellular respiration, oxygen is combined with digested food (glucose) to produce water, carbon dioxide and ATP (energy). The Lined Seahorse uses ATP to power all the physical and chemical processes inside their bodies.
Like many other fish, seahorses breathe through gills. Gills take in oxygen from the water in exchange for carbon dioxide. Water enters through the mouth and passes backward over the gills where the exchange takes place.
But seahorse gills are different than most other fish. They are “tufted.” They look like balls of tissue on top of a small stem. Tufting is an adaptation due to the shape of the seahorse head and the very small size of the gill opening. Tufts or folds allow for increased surface area necessary for the gas exchange in water (which contains less oxygen than air).
The gills open to the surface through a small hole that is covered by a bony structure called the operculum that opens and closes. In seahorses, the operculum is a narrow opening located at the back of the head due to the shape of the seahorse snout.
The gills are made of comb-like filaments called lamellae, a type of specialized tissue. The lamellae consist of a thick network of blood vessels that allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to diffuse across the thin membranes between the seahorse’s bloodstream and the water.
Seahorse respiration is a result of passive diffusion. Passive diffusion is when materials move across a membrane from areas of low to high concentration. When there is more oxygen in the water than in the seahorse’s blood, oxygen moves from the water into the seahorse’s bloodstream. Similarly, carbon dioxide passively diffuses from the seahorse’s bloodstream into the water. Passive diffusion allows the seahorse to obtain oxygen from its environment and get rid of of waste carbon dioxide. Then the seahorse’s blood carries oxygen to other parts of the body.
Like many fish, Lined Seahorse cannot regulate their own body temperature. Instead, their body temperature is determined by their environment or the temperature of the ocean water.
Fun Fact: Seahorses are heavy breathers! They tend to breathe heavier than most other fish!
Like many other fish, seahorses breathe through gills. Gills take in oxygen from the water in exchange for carbon dioxide. Water enters through the mouth and passes backward over the gills where the exchange takes place.
But seahorse gills are different than most other fish. They are “tufted.” They look like balls of tissue on top of a small stem. Tufting is an adaptation due to the shape of the seahorse head and the very small size of the gill opening. Tufts or folds allow for increased surface area necessary for the gas exchange in water (which contains less oxygen than air).
The gills open to the surface through a small hole that is covered by a bony structure called the operculum that opens and closes. In seahorses, the operculum is a narrow opening located at the back of the head due to the shape of the seahorse snout.
The gills are made of comb-like filaments called lamellae, a type of specialized tissue. The lamellae consist of a thick network of blood vessels that allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to diffuse across the thin membranes between the seahorse’s bloodstream and the water.
Seahorse respiration is a result of passive diffusion. Passive diffusion is when materials move across a membrane from areas of low to high concentration. When there is more oxygen in the water than in the seahorse’s blood, oxygen moves from the water into the seahorse’s bloodstream. Similarly, carbon dioxide passively diffuses from the seahorse’s bloodstream into the water. Passive diffusion allows the seahorse to obtain oxygen from its environment and get rid of of waste carbon dioxide. Then the seahorse’s blood carries oxygen to other parts of the body.
Like many fish, Lined Seahorse cannot regulate their own body temperature. Instead, their body temperature is determined by their environment or the temperature of the ocean water.
Fun Fact: Seahorses are heavy breathers! They tend to breathe heavier than most other fish!